Tag Archives: Salad

Mermaid Vibes Salad

Mermaid Vibes Gluten Free Salad

Get your mermaid tail ready and dig into this Mermaid Vibes Salad, because Summer is almost here!

This light and seasonal salad will delight your inner mermaid and free spirit without weighing you down!

Mermaid Vibes Salad

Ingredients:

1 Head of Living Butter Lettuce

1 Carrot, Sliced on the diagonal with a Mandolin slicer or thinly sliced

1/2 an English Cucumber, Sliced on a diagonal with a Mandolin or thinly sliced

1/2 a Chioggia Beet, peeled and shaved with a Mandolin or very thinly sliced

Broccoli Sprouts

Watercress

Avocado, sliced

Brown Rice Wraps

Seaweed Salad (Purchased or Use My Recipe Below)

Mermaid Dressing (Recipe Below)

Directions:

Whisk up your Mermaid Dressing and set aside.

Cut the Brown Rice Wraps into sixths and toast the wedges in the oven at 350º degrees F. until just crisp.

Take your prepared salad ingredients and lay two handfuls of roughly torn butter lettuce in the bottom of your dish. Now, artfully arrange your toppings, and drizzle with Mermaid Dressing. Dig in! This is a highly nutritious, light, and absolutely delicious salad!

Mermaid Dressing

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of Full Fat Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of White Balsamic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon of Raw Honey

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Tumeric

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Pinch of White Pepper

Directions: Whisk Thoroughly. Refrigerate.

Seaweed Salad

1/2 of a 1.76 oz. package of Wakame Seaweed (like this)

3 Tablespoons of Rice Vinegar

3 Tablespoons of Coconut Aminos

2 Teaspoons of Raw Runny Honey

1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil

1 Teaspoon of Freshly Grated Ginger Root

1/4 Cup of Finely Shredded Carrot

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

2 Scallions, Thinly Sliced

Directions: Briefly Rinse your Dried Wakame Seaweed. Then, soak it in a bowl of warm water for five minutes. While the seaweed is soaking, whisk together the rice vinegar, coconut aminos, honey, sesame oil, ginger root and salt. Stir in the carrots and scallions until blended. Pour over the seaweed and toss. Keep Refrigerated.

Mermaid Vibes Salad - For Your Inner Mermaid! Delicious Light Salad that is Gluten and Soy Free. Spa Quality and Healthy!

Broccoli Radicchio Salad with Bacon

Broccoli Radicchio Bacon Salad with Cranberries

This flavorful, nutrient rich, salad with chopped radicchio and oven roasted broccoli is a delicious mixture of crunchy, sweet and salty. The salad is tossed with apple juice sweetened cranberries, salty bacon and is drizzled with a honey lemon vinaigrette. The colors are bright and vibrant, and it keeps well in the refrigerator for three days.

Radicchio originated in Italy, and gives the salad a pop of color as well as phytonutrients, flavonoids, vitamin c, k and b vitamins. It has a bold flavor and looks similar to red cabbage, but is nothing like it other than color. It is a member of the chicory family.

Broccoli is a vegetable in the cruciferous family and is full of nutrients. At the top of the list is vitamin k, c, chromium, folate and many more. This is a really delicious and eye catching salad!

Broccoli Radicchio Salad with Bacon and Cranberries Paleo AIP

Broccoli Radicchio Salad with Bacon

Ingredients:

8 Cups of Raw Broccoli Florets plus 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil or Avocado Oil and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Two small heads of Radicchio (8 Cups) Washed and shredded with a sharp knife

1/2 Cup of Crumbled Cooked Bacon (I used sugar free Paleo bacon)

1/4 Cup of Apple Juice Sweetened Cranberries (I use these)

Preheat your oven to 400º degrees F. Toss the broccoli florets in the oil and sea salt. Roast in your preheated oven in the center rack for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until crispy and brown. They will be almost like a chip. They should be golden brown and crispy on the edges, but not burned.

Meanwhile, place your washed and shredded radicchio into a large bowl and make the vinaigrette.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of White Balsamic Vinegar (my favorite brand)

2 Teaspoons of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Directions: Whisk together all the ingredients until emulsified.

Pour the dressing over the radicchio. Pour the prepared dressing over the top and toss to coat thoroughly. When the broccoli is done, place it on top of the dressed radicchio while it is hot. Add the cranberries and crumbled bacon. I like to serve it layered like this with a long set of salad tongs.

That’s it! It’s ready to serve, and as I said, this salad stays fresh in the refrigerator for several days. The radicchio is a sturdy leaf and doesn’t wilt or get soggy with the vinaigrette added to it, and the flavors just get better.

Sam

Broccoli Radicchio Salad with Bacon Paleo AIP Gluten Free

Mango Cashew Chicken Salad

Mango Cashew Chicken Dinner Salad

This salad is inspired by one of my favorite salads from Red Mesa Grill in Northern Michigan. I order it every year from their gluten free menu and it is so good, I decided to recreate it at home adding my own spin on it.

Mango Cashew Chicken Summer Salad

The salad has a delicious combination of sweet juicy mango, crunchy cashews, tart cranberries, onion and roasted chicken. The mango dressing is bursting with vitamin C. It is a perfect Summer main dish salad!

Mango Cashew Chicken Salad

Mango Cashew Chicken Salad

Begin with making a marinade for the chicken breasts:

Marinade:

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

Zest and Juice of 1 Lime

2 Cloves of Smashed Garlic

2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Whisk the marinade together well. Add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a gallon zip bag, and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag, and place it flat in the refrigerator for 3 hours, flipping once halfway through to ensure the chicken is evenly seasoned. You can refrigerate the chicken for up to 24 hours in the marinade.

Now prepare your salad dressing.

Mango Salad Dressing

Mango Salad Dressing:

Ingredients;

1 1/4 Cup of Ripe Mango, diced

1/4 Cup of Good Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Cilantro

2 Tablespoons of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (I use this kind)

1 Green Onion, sliced

1 Teaspoon of fine Sea Salt (I like this brand)

Blend the mango and olive oil in a blender until completely smooth and creamy. Add the lime juice, salt and cider vinegar and blend to incorporate. Now, add the fresh scallion and cilantro, and pulse the blender just until you can see tiny bits of scallion and cilantro. You want to be able to see it and not completely incorporate it into the dressing.

Refrigerate the dressing. This will keep 3 days in the refrigerator.

Now to make the salad! 🙂

Mango Cashew Chicken Salad Prep

Mango Cashew Chicken Salad Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 – 5 oz. Container of Organic Baby Romaine, washed and spun dry

1/2 Head of Organic Iceberg Lettuce, washed, spun dry and torn into bite-sized pieces

1 Ripe Mango, Diced in to 1 inch pieces

1/2 Cup of Salted or Raw Cashews

1/4 Cup of Apple Juice Sweetened Dried Cranberries (I use this brand)

1/4 Cup of Green Onion, Sliced

1/4 Cup of Red Onion, Finely Diced

Additional Sea Salt for Sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° degrees. In a cast iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium-high. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, and sprinkle them with additional sea salt, and add them to the pan. Brown the breasts two minutes per side, until golden brown, but not cooked through. Place the chicken on a baking sheet, and place them in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or just until the chicken reaches 165° at the center. Remove the chicken from the oven, and set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Mound the salad greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with a generous amount of Mango Salad Dressing. Sprinkle the mango, cashews, cranberries, green onion and red onion on top. Slice your cooked chicken breasts on a diagonal (they can still be warm) and arrange the breasts on the top of the salad. Sprinkle with some additional sea salt to taste.

Serve!

4 Large Dinner Sized Servings (1 Chicken Breast per person)

Grilled Romaine Salad

It’s grilling season! Grilling embodies so much more than food. In means hanging out in the backyard, more leisurely laid back moments, friends and family, children having the opportunity to have less structure to their day and time to daydream, warm weather, and parties!

Today I am sharing a new recipe for Grilled Romaine Salad. To make this salad you wash and halve Romaine Lettuce and brush it with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Grilling gives the salad a mild, smokey flavor and also tenderizes the lettuce. I topped it simply with precooked bacon, and some chopped red pepper and scallions. Then I drizzled it with a zippy red wine vinaigrette! Here’s the recipe!

Grilled Romaine Salad – sameatshernutrients.com

Grilled Romaine Salad

Ingredients:

2 Heads of Romaine, washed and halved lengthwise

Good Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

1/2 Cup of Cooked, Crumbled Bacon

1 Diced Red Pepper

3 Scallions, Sliced

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 Cup Good Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Djon Mustard

1 Teaspoon Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

Whisk the dressing together until emulsified.

Preheat your grill, then turn down to medium-high. Brush your halved Romaine generously with Olive Oil, then sprinkle with Sea Salt and Black Pepper as desired.

Ready for the Grill

Place the Romaine cut side down on your grill, close the lid and grill 3 to 5 minutes until there are nice grill lines on your Romaine and it is to your satisfaction. It will be slightly wilted.

Remove from the grill and plate your Romaine. Sprinkle with Scallions, Red Bell Pepper and Bacon Crumbles. Drizzle with the Red Wine Vinaigrette and additional Sea Salt and Pepper if desired. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Grilled Romaine Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Eat Your Nutrients!

French Asparagus Salad

It’s Asparagus Season! After my trip to Florida this month, I came home and recreated a salad I had while dining at a French restaurant, Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre, in Palm Beach. They made the salad on the fly, just for me, when I told them of my food intolerances. The asparagus was crisp tender, and the leafy greens tossed in a vinaigrette where perfect with it. They also brought out a beautiful bowl of fresh berries for me for dessert.

Spring and Summer are the easiest times to eat local, seasonal food, and I like to take advantage of the Farmer’s Markets for sure! Research has proven that nutrients are the most plentiful in produce when it has just been harvested. After it has traveled to the store and sat on the shelves for several days, the nutrient content lessens day by day. (You can read more about this here).

French Asparagus Salad

It is such a pretty salad! I hope you give it a try and also take advantage of all the beautiful, locally grown food this time of year. Your body will love you for it!

French Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:

10 Asparagus Spears, Snapped at the ends to remove tough portion

2 Cups of Fresh Leafy Salad Greens (You Choose)

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, Diced

2 Tablespoons of Sliced Green Onion

Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Teaspoon of Djon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar

1/2 Cup Good Olive Oil

Directions: Whisk the dressing together until emulsified. Refrigerate any leftovers.

To make the salad, steam the asparagus for six minutes until fork tender but not mushy. Immediately move while it is hot to a shallow bowl, and toss with 2 Tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Let this sit for ten minutes to marinate.

Place the two cups of leafy greens in another bowl, and toss with a generous amount of vinaigrette. Arrange the asparagus on two plates evenly in a fan. Add the diced red pepper artfully. Then mound the leafy greens at the end of the spears. Sprinkle with scallions and a little additional salt and pepper.

It is ready to serve!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Fuji Apple Pecan Beet Salad With White Balsamic Vinaigrette

I will admit it! I am a total salad crazed nut! I love to nosh on it! I never get tired of salad and have been eating them my whole life! You can totally chock them full of all different kinds of healthy ingredients and endless variations! So, I never get bored. You can make an entire meal of a salad with some kind of protein added, or make it a lighter side salad.

A useful tip when you are trying to lose weight or keep from gaining it back, is to fill your plate once with your meal, including salad. If you are still hungry and want to go back for seconds, make it more salad. It fills you up, and you are getting more vegetables and greens which can help reduce cravings.

Today I have a recipe for an Autumn salad that would be really wonderful served with Thanksgiving Dinner. It has a completely seasonal Fall vibe with fuji apple, golden beets and shallots. The white balsamic vinaigrette has just the right tanginess and compliments the sweet apple.

Fuji Apple, Beet Pecan Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Head of Butter Lettuce

1 Head of Iceburg Lettuce or Baby Romaine

1 Fuji Apple

2 Medium Golden Beets

1/2 Cup Thinly Sliced Shallots

1/4 Cup Raw Pecans

White Balsamic Salad Dressing:

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of White Balsamic Vinegar (I used 12 year old aged)

1 Teaspoon of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt, plus more for the beets

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper, plus more for the beets

(Mix all the dressing ingredients together with a whisk until emulsified.)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Rub the beets with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil each and sprinkle with some extra salt. Roast whole in the oven for 45 minutes until they pierce easily with a fork. (this can be done in advance).

Peel the beets and dice into small bite size pieces. Place the beets into a small bowl and toss with 1 Tablespoon of the balsamic dressing and 1/2 teaspoon of himalayan pink salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Set aside.

Wash and spin your lettuce, tear into bite size pieces, and place in a salad bowl. Thinly slice the shallots, and dice the fuji apple into pieces the same size as the beets.

Add the shallots, apple, beets and pecans to your salad. When you are ready to serve the salad, toss with the remaining salad dressing.

You are ready to serve a beautiful Autumn salad in a bowl! This salad contains healthy fat from the olive oil and pecans, fruit and vegetables! But, most of all it is delicious!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Peachy Jar Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

This jar salad is so full of freshness, it makes me want to sing!

Food is supposed to make us feel good! So often today, the food that makes us feel “good” is not good for us. We have been inundated with ads and media from food manufacturers that tell us a food will make us happy.

Food that truly makes a person happy is the food that supports every cell of the body. Food that your body recognizes and knows what to do with. Pure, real, unprocessed food. It makes us feel good and look good. It gives us energy, and makes our skin glow and hair shine. It promotes longevity and prevents disease. Our bodies are like a very intricate computer that communicates with all the different components. We don’t want to confuse it by putting in artificial food that we weren’t made to process.

Peachy Salad in a Jar with Ginger Vinaigrette

Peachy Jar Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

You can make this jar salad to pack for lunch, or make a larger version of it for another meal to share. It keeps well also! After a day in the refrigerator, the flavors meld even more!

PEACHY JAR SALAD WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients for the Salad:

1 Cup of Ripe Tomato (Your favorite, any color. I used Heirloom)

1 Ripe and Juicy Peach (sliced and tossed with a tsp. fresh Lime Juice to prevent browning)

1/2 Cup of Watermelon (cubed)

1/2 Cup of Cucumber (cubed)

2 Green Onions (thinly sliced)

1/4 Cup Raw Pecans

1/4 Cup Green Pepper (diced)

GINGER VINAIGRETTE

This makes a 1/2 Cup of dressing, so you will have extra!

1/3 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tablespoons of Fresh Lime Juice

2 Teaspoons of Fresh, Minced Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon of Minced Jalapeno Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/8 Teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions: Puree the Vinaigrette ingredients thoroughly in a blender.

To assemble your salad: Use a generous glass jar that holds 4 cups. You can also make two smaller jar salads with pint jars, which hold two cups each.

Place two tablespoons of Ginger Vinaigrette in the bottom of the jar.

Add the other prepared ingredients in the following order from bottom to top:

Green onion
Tomato
Green Pepper
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Peaches
Pecans

Seal your jar, and refrigerate until ready to eat! You have made sunshine in a bottle.

Before eating, toss your salad gently by inverting the jar several times to coat the salad with the dressing. Remove lid and enjoy.

*I used organic ingredients

Peachy Salad in a Jar with Ginger Vinaigrette

Eat Your Nutrients! Don’t settle for less. It makes All The Difference!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Spiralized Golden Beet Salad

I am in love with spiralized vegetables! It changes the texture and whole experience of eating them. The noodles or spirals coming out of the spiralizer as you turn the handle are gorgeous and abundant! Recently, I spiralized golden beets and then wondered, what should I do different with these gorgeous spun gold noodles? I decided to lightly steam them and serve them as a chilled beet salad. I wanted crunch, flavor and eye appeal. I also wanted to keep the ingredients simple. The results were a salad with almonds for crunch, scallions and avocado oil.

I tend to spiralize several things at once and then store them in the refrigerator until I want to use them, so I only have to clean up the spiralizer once. These beets were ready a day in advance, and the actual preparation time the day of was about 20 minutes.

Spiralized Golden Beet Salad

Ingredients:

2 Medium Golden Beets, washed, peeled and spiralized

1/2 Cup Scallions, sliced, green parts only for Low FodMap

1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds

3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

2 Teaspoons White Wine Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt (to Taste)

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper or to Taste

Directions: Place a few inches of water in the bottom of a pan with a steamer insert and bring to a boil. Add the beets and steam five minutes, just till tender…think al dente. Remove from the steamer and run under very cold water to cool quickly and prevent further cooking. Drain the beets well. Add to a bowl and toss with the remaining salad ingredients. Serve, or refrigerate to chill more and let the flavors meld.

Everything contained in this salad is not only delicious, but offers health benefits. Beets are rich in nutrients, fiber, detoxify and contain phytonutrients. Scallions are great for immune system health and contain Vitamin K for bones and Vitamin A for the eyes. Almonds contain fiber, protein and good fat as well as the good fat in the avocado oil, which is delicious!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Blackberry Phyto Blast Salad with Blueberry Berrylicious Dressing

Are you ready for a delicious, phytonutrient loaded salad? This one has fruits, nuts, pomegranate seeds and living butter lettuce to give you a blast of them! It also is candy for the eyes, and it is well know we eat with all of our senses! Phytonutrients are so unbelievably important for our bodies, our cells, and for cancer prevention. A variety in the diet boosts their effectiveness and creates nutrient synergy. They give our bodies the tools it needs to enable it to heal and maintain vitality. Greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, green tea…….there are plenty to choose from, and variety is possible no matter if you are eating Paleo, SCD, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, or just seeking nutrients, you get the idea. Here is a handy chart of some of the most common foods containing phytonutrients to get you started, but there are thousands and more being discovered. If you would like additional information about phytonutrients, here is an article from Gaiam Life and one from Dr. Fuhrman entitled Nutrient Density and Phytochemical-rich foods.

Phyto Blast Salad with Blueberry Dressing

Blackberry Phyto Blast Salad with Blueberry Berrylicious Dressing

The Blueberry Berrylicious Salad Dressing gets its fat from nuts and seeds.

Berrylicious Salad Dressing

Blackberry Phyto Blast Salad with Blueberry Berrylicious Dressing

Ingredients for Salad:

2 Heads of Living Butter Lettuce

1 Cup of Fresh Orange Segments, halved or 1 can of Native Forest Mandarin Oranges in their own juice

1 Pint Fresh Organic Blackberries

1/4 Cup Pomagranite Seeds

1/2 Cup Raw Pecans

1/2 Cup Raw Walnut Halves

Directions: Tear the butter lettuce into bite sized pieces and scatter berries, fruit, pomegranate seeds and nuts on top.

Blueberry Berrylicious Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries (if frozen defrost them in the microwave)

1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

2 Tablespoons Tahini (pure no sugar added)

1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice (2 lemons)

2 Tablespoons Dried Currants

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions: Place all the dressing ingredients in a high speed blender, and blend until smooth. This dressing thickens when refrigerated, so when using for a second day, zap for a few seconds in the microwave or let it come to room temperature for looser consistency. It is rich in nutrients and good fat.

*If you are beginning a Low FodMap diet, I recommend you substitute the blackberries for raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. You still get your phyto blast of berries!

Spring Strawberry Sugar Snap Pea Salad

I am so happy to see the Spring produce start to come in at my local organic market. This week, I picked up some beautiful organic sugar snap peas and strawberries that inspired me to make this bright and colorful salad. I paired it with an orange vinaigrette, and it was a big hit! I sliced the sugar snap peas into 1 inch pieces and lightly sauteed them in olive oil and Pink Himalayan salt before adding them to the salad, so they are still crunchy.

Spring Strawberry Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Head of Organic Iceburg Lettuce

5 pieces of Sugar Free or Honey Sweetened Bacon cooked until crisp

2 Cups Organic Sliced Strawberries

1 Cup Organic Sugar Snap Peas

1/2 Cup Marcona Almonds (chopped), or Slivered Almonds

1/4 Cup Sliced Scallions, Green Part Only (the white part is a FodMap, so if you are low FodMap Avoid White Part)

Orange Vinaigrette (See Recipe Below)

Saute the one inch sliced sugar snap peas in olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until tender, crisp, just 2 minutes. Add other ingredients except dressing to a large serving bowl, top with sugar snap peas, then toss with Orange Vinaigrette, sprinkle with a little more Himalayan Pink Salt (Kelly Bejelly of A Girl Worth Saving just wrote an informative article on the benefits of this salt), pepper, and serve. A delicious spring salad! This is one of my favorite salad dressing at the moment. I love the bright orange flavor.